Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-01-07
ABOUT WHARFAGE.
In eresting Notes on the Order and Law
of Growth In Different Races.

/
Dwarfs may be described as human
beings whose natural growth has been
arrested at some early stage. That
the human body has a definite law of
proportion from birth to death has
been long known. The most ancient
art of the Egyptians and that of all
nations, barbarian and civilized. in
Guiding especially the Greeks, have
shown evidences of their several OBJ
servations of the general facts. A
German of the name of Liharvik has
worked out the details of the growth.
and so demonstrated the law of human
proportions more exhaustivelv than.
perhaps, any one else. He exhibited
a series of statuettes in the London
Great Exhibition of 1862, showing the
order of growth in both male AMI fe-
male which had met with the appro-
baton of Humboldt Joseph Benom
also worked out series of calcula-
tions tending to show the order and
law of growth, which appears to be
from the proportion of three to seven.
Taking the head us standard, the
child at both measures, say three
circles, of which the head 10
shoulder is one, to the bottom of
the spine another. and to the feet
the third. The period OF each three
years appears to add another circle to
height, up to twentv-one or twenty
four years, varying according to favor
able or adverse conditions. The sizes
at birth may vary, but the proportions
are the same over all the world. Thus.
if the head of a newly born child meas
ures nine inches, Us he ght will be
twenty seven; if the bead be ten inches.
its height is thirty. From this normal
proportion it grows up to seven heads
high among the average European or
Aryan races. The average standard is,
however, lower in the Semitic races,
and lower still among the Turan types.
These very primitive, rude and bar
barlan types appear to stand at four
heads in height. while the Scmnitc
grows up to five or SIX heals. and the
average of seven is reached only by The
lndo European, Aryan, or Teutonic
races. Within this general law there
are many notifications tending 20
favor or retard the growths-of from
three to scvcn-as the proportion of
form determines the possibility of &c
tons thus dependent; so notifications
affect the actions and results of pro-
portion of both body and mind. In
the law of growth we have Il law of
arrostment by, in, or through which
the proportions may be stayed at any
stage of growth. Arrcstment may be
artifcially worked out as was done
in the case of the Aztec children ex-
hibited in Leeds some years ago-or it
may lie by excess of cold heat, lack of
food, imp. oper treatment, etc, etc, all
not being designed or purpoSed. This
law of arrcstment is very Little known,
and we may have "A figure stayed at the
proportion of six, five, four or even
three heads high, without being able to
account for it. The lower proportion
is the dwarfage to which would direct
the readers attention. In Derbyshre
| have found many people of stunted
proportions. In Leeds we have now
man who is not more than four heads
high; and saw woman of full age at
Millhil re emily of even lower proper
tons. But the most perfect instance
Vi NV VII -ilCNtNCi pIOPOl illii L
have seen is dwarf man and woman
in the Cingalese troupe. His form and
proportions are exactly similar to the
figure of the God Ptah, or evil Typhon,
as given in Bunsen's "Egypt's Place
and History In my collection are
similar three-hcaded figures from art
works not carcaturcd) from North to
South scandinavian, African, New
Zealand, Mexican. American and
Hndoo. The fact is that all children
and undevcloped NEGLECTED people of
all ages draw the human figures always
too short Taking the heal us stand
ard, the tendency is to make figures
three heads high. 1t would appear
that the same law of proportion rules
the evolution of human art that rules
the growth of the human body. SO
the same phen Dmena of arrest
ment obtains in art, some indi-
viduals, like some nat ons, stand
ing at certain imperfect stage.
The subject of dwarfing in both
body and mind has many singular and
important features to the stu w of
human ty. Thus there is general CO.
relation of inferioror childish intellects
WIN Wv ~ iiNh iiHtiltS, dll, utlCt uNdIlS
were kept as play things to make sport
of in the courts of the Middle Ages
They are SO seen in the paintings of
Nelasquez, Pa@lo Veronese and Others
In some-in fact in many cases-wt
have normal growth of body and ar
rested development of mind and per-
ceptionS; in tais way we may explain
and account for most, if not all, the
varieties of human actions in at, re-
ligion and asS lciation. To cthnologistS
these Blu dhist natives of Ceylon. to
gether with their elephants, arts,
dresses, decorations and habits are
extremely interesting Their whole
phys cal and social condition is the re
suit of arrested development of m nd.
as real rs in the stunted and abnormal
figures of several in the troupe, both
male and female. The male dwarf in
the company is thirty-seven inches in
height; from head to shoulder the
measurement is ten inches; hand, four
inches, and foot, four and half inches.